World War One-era speedboat replica takes to water off Portsmouth

A replica of a World War One-era military speedboat has taken to the water for the first time.

The Coastal Motor Boat Number 4 (CMB4) torpedoed a Bolshevik cruiser in action following the Russian Revolution.

A team of volunteers took six years to build the exact replica from the original plans and have held successful sea trials off Portsmouth.

Volunteer team lead David Griffiths, a retired shipwright, said the project had been "hard work all the way".

The original 40ft vessel - now part of the Imperial War Museum's collection - could reach speeds of up to 40 knots and was used to attack much larger ships during World War One.

The craft has a long wooden rack between the cockpit and stern on which a Whitehead Torpedo was held.

The crew would have to quickly steer away from danger after firing their torpedo to avoid being struck by it.

Its most famous engagement was in June 1919 when Lt Augustus Agar disobeyed orders and attacked the 7,000 tonne Bolshevik cruiser, Oleg, that was pounding White Russian forces St Petersburg. He was later awarded the Victoria Cross.

A team of volunteers spent six years working on the replica

The plan to build a working replica of the vessel was made possible by funding from the government's £35m pot raised from fines imposed on banks for rigging interest rates.

The CMB4 was part of a class designed by the Thornycroft family.

The volunteers were able to use original plans for the motorboat that were located at the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich. They were also loaned the original boat by the Imperial War Museum.

The replica was successfully put through sea trials on the Solent, reaching a speed of 36 knots.

Mr Griffiths said: "There was a lot of smiles and exultations. It's been hard work all the way, but this was the moment all that success came together."

He said those serving on the vessels would have needed "unthinkable heroism".

"They launched the torpedo while keeping the boat on a straight course, monitoring the speed, launching off the back and getting out of the way as quickly as possible - and they may have been constantly under fire," he added.

The replica is going on show at Boat House Number 4 at Portsmouth's Historic Dockyard.